Saturday, April 20, 2013

The weather has been pretty nice lately, so Emma and I have made a few outings to the park while the kids have been in school. At the park, there is a ladder that is easy for her to climb and one that is a little bit big and intimidating for her. We decided together that it is for big kids. Her next comment was, “But my kids are at school.”

I was really amused by this, so when my mom joined Emma and I for lunch a few days later, I asked Emma “Who are your kids?”

“Gwyn.”

“Who else?”

“Grandma.”

As you can imagine, Grandma got a big kick out of this.

Emma loves being outside, and I can’t blame her. It is so nice to feel the sunshine after what feels like a long winter. The other day I took her out to the back yard to play in the sand box. I have trouble being outside without doing something. I started cleaning up little bits of trash and rocks that the kids had played with and left in the yard. Then I decided that I would work in the garden a bit. I encouraged Emma to keep digging in the sand box while I dug in the garden. She was happy doing this for a few minutes, then wanted to be with me in the garden.

(Emma loves wearing her sunglasses, and consistently puts them on upside down.)

I had been happy to get out the next size of cute summer clothes for Emma from the attic, but now I’m wondering why stores don’t sell more children’s clothing that is the color of dirt.

Every morning—well, almost every morning—our family reads scriptures together. Last year we read the Book of Mormon, and this year we are reading the New Testament. Emma loves to participate in most family activities, and this is no exception. She climbs up on the bed and insists on holding her “shrippers”. Last year, the book she chose to call her “shrippers” was a fat critical edition of “Moby Dick” that I had started reading. (I say started because I didn’t make it through.) Moby Dick has been replaced by various gospel study manuals that are the right size for her and have some pictures in them. I hope she continues to enjoy family scripture study.